Coffee at Midnight
by BluEyes
Summary: Harmless, Season 3 Randler friendship fic...safe for Mondler and R/R fans


**Coffee at Midnight**

~.~

_Um, sorry, this is me not updating my other stories. I'm currently working on all three of them, though! This story came to me as _Meet Virginia_ by Train came on my ipod as I was running. Funny, that's how the ideas for many of my stories come to me. And, once it's in my head, it begs to be written until it is, so…it's one of those I sit down and write in under an hour so that it leaves me alone. :)  
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_ Anyway, this is set during TO Without the Ski Trip. Just a little harmless Randler friendship fic, perfectly safe for R/R and Mondler fans ;)_

_ One-shot, but reviews, of course, are appreciated._

~.~

Rachel clung tightly to the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, standing on the small deck of her sister's cabin, staring out onto the snow-covered mountain. She leaned down to sip the hot coffee in her hands, enjoying both the silence and darkness a night away from the city offered. She had thought the silence would be welcoming, but without the background noise of the city to sing her to sleep, thoughts of Ross instead invaded her mind. She felt bad he wasn't there. Yet, she was still unforgivably angry. No, not angry. Hurt. Her heart still hurt too badly to be around him.

"Didn't think anyone else would be up this late."

Rachel jumped, startled at the sound of Chandler's voice as he joined her on the deck, leaning back against the wooden picnic table as he pulled a cigarette from the pack in his hands.

"I would chastise you and tell you not to do that, but," she sighed heavily, her breath condensing slowly in the cold air in front of her, "I suppose it's my fault. And this feeling kind of makes me want to smoke, too." Chandler held out the pack, but Rachel shook her head, laughing. "No, thanks," she replied, taking another drink of her coffee, Chandler shrugging as he went back to smoking his cigarette. Rachel leaned against the railing, sighing heavily.

"Are you drinking coffee?" Chandler asked after a few moments of silence, both of them having been staring off into the vast nothingness to the back of the cabin.

Rachel laughed, turning back towards him. "Yea."

"At midnight?"

Rachel shrugged. "I couldn't sleep, and it was cold out here, so," she shrugged.

"Fair enough," Chandler nodded, smashing out his cigarette, though it was far from gone, and moving closer to her. "You…okay?"

Rachel shrugged. "This all just sucks, ya know?"

"Yea," Chandler nodded. "Yea, it really does."

"I mean, I feel terrible that Ross didn't come with us, but at the same time, I just," she shook her head fiercely, fingertips gripping her coffee mug, "I can't stand to be around him right now. It just-it hurts way too much. And it sucks."

"I'm sorry. It does suck," Chandler leaned against the railing beside her.

"You should be sorry," Rachel nearly snapped. "I mean, if not for you and your stupid crystal duck story, or your stupid pro/con list idea, or saying not to tell me about-about-_her_," Rachel couldn't even choke out Chloe's name, setting her coffee cup down on the railing in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Chandler said, more sincerely this time, reaching out for her arm.

Rachel shook her head, turning towards him. "It's not really your fault," she choked out, tears in her eyes. "And if not for you and your stupid crystal duck story, maybe we never would have happened, and then-then…" she trailed off, shaking her head as she became unable to hold back her tears.

"Oh, Rach," he pulled her into his arms, rubbing slow circles on her back.

"Sorry," Rachel pulled back, wiping at her eyes.

"Don't be," Chandler shook his head.

"This will all get easier, right?" she stared into his eyes, needing some kind of reassurance from another human being on the one thought that had been running through her head all night.

Chandler hesitated, not good at this. "I don't-I don't know," he whispered honestly. Rachel nodded sadly, again staring out into the darkness. "I mean, things usually hurt less over time, so, probably…."

Rachel nodded, laughing slightly. "Thank you for that," she turned to him, smiling slightly. "I needed someone to be honest with me."

"Glad I could help," Chandler smiled slightly, studying the woman beside him. When they were younger he'd never understood what it was that Ross found so remarkable about Rachel, and he had actually found her annoyingly whiny and spoiled. And when she moved in with Monica, he had still seen her as just Monica's friend, and then as Ross's Rachel. But this woman beside him, the one that had gone from being unable to make a cup of coffee to waitress to what could possibly be her dream career, this woman…he wanted to be friends with. Not just friends with because she was Monica's roommate, but friends with because she had so much more to offer than he had ever bothered to find out before.

"You know," Chandler continued on quietly, "even if it's not ever okay again with you guys, you'll be okay," he glanced at her to see she had again turned towards him. "I mean, you walk out on your wedding day, you quit your job at Central Perk, you have a job you actually love now, which I completely envy you for, by the way. So I think-I think, even if things stay crappy with you and Ross, you're gonna be okay," he nodded.

The corners of Rachel's mouth turned up in a smile, a slight smile, but for the first time in weeks, a real smile. "Thank you," she whispered, playing with the edges of her blanket between her fingers. "Monica's right about you," she added.

"What?"

"She says you're sweet, and I guess she's right," Rachel explained. "At least when you're not being a sarcastic pain in the ass."

Chandler grinned. "I try to strike a balance between the two…."

Rachel laughed slightly, letting the moment of comfortable silence hang between them for a moment before reaching for her empty coffee mug. "I'm gonna head to bed," she unwrapped the blanket from her body, handing it to him. "Enjoy your cancer sticks."

"Oh, I will," Chandler grinned, holding up his pack as he accepted the blanket from her.

"Goodnight, Chandler."

"Night, Rach."

Rachel paused at the door, actually feeling better than she had when she came out there, and deciding she needed to thank him for that. "Hey, um...thanks," she said softly, turning back towards him.

Chandler nodded, blowing out a mouthful of smoke as he returned her smile. "No problem."


End file.
